1
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2
"Speak to Aaron, and say to him, 'When you arrange the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.' "
3
And Aaron did so; he arranged the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses.
4
Now this workmanship of the lampstand was hammered gold; from its shaft to its flowers it was hammered work. According to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
5
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
6
"Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them ceremonially.
7
Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave all their body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.
8
Then let them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull as a sin offering.
9
And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall gather together the whole congregation of the children of Israel.
10
So you shall bring the Levites before the Lord, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites;
11
and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord, like a wave offering from the children of Israel, that they may perform the work of the Lord.
12
Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, and you shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites.
13
And you shall stand the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them like a wave offering to the Lord.
14
Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.
15
After that the Levites shall go in to service the tabernacle of meeting. So you shall cleanse them and offer them, like a wave offering.
16
For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them for Myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel.
17
For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast; on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them to Myself.
18
I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel.